[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 114 (Wednesday, June 13, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32168-32170]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-14809]



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Part VI





Department of Education





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Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; National 
Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research; Inviting 
Applications for Fiscal Year (FY) 2001 for New Awards for the 
Alternative Financing Program and a Pre-Application Meeting; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 114 / Wednesday, June 13, 2001 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No.: 84.224C]


Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; National 
Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research; Notice Inviting 
Applications for Fiscal Year (FY) 2001 for New Awards for the 
Alternative Financing Program and a Pre-Application Meeting

ACTION: Notice inviting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2001 for new 
awards for the Alternative Financing Program and a pre-application 
meeting.

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SUMMARY: We invite applications for new grant awards for FY 2001 for 
the Alternative Financing Program authorized under title III of the 
Assistive Technology Act of 1998 (AT Act).
    Purpose of the Program: The Alternative Financing Program (AFP) 
created a new Federal program to pay a share of the cost of the 
establishment or expansion, and administration of, an alternative 
financing program for assistive technology (AT). We take this action in 
order to award one year grants or cooperative agreements to States and 
outlying areas to establish or maintain alternative financing projects 
to increase access AT for individuals with disabilities. Currently, 
major service programs such as Medicaid, special education, vocational 
rehabilitation, and to a limited extent, Medicare, provide AT devices 
and services for eligible individuals. In some instances, individuals 
with disabilities purchase AT with private funds however, many 
individuals and their families do not have the necessary resources to 
obtain the AT they need. Loan programs offer individuals with 
disabilities attractive options that significantly enhance their access 
to AT.
    This competition focuses on projects designed to meet a priority 
that we have chosen from allowable activities specified in the program 
statute (see 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(v)) and sections 301-305 of the 
Assistive Technology Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 3051-3055).

National Education Goals

    The eight National Education Goals focus the Nation's education 
reform efforts and provide a framework for improving teaching and 
learning.
    This notice addresses the National Education Goal that every adult 
American will be literate and will possess the knowledge and skills 
necessary to compete in a global economy and exercise the rights and 
responsibilities of citizenship.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 14, 2001.
    Application Available: June 15, 2001.
    Project Period: 12 months.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 20.
    Award Amount: Program minimum: none; Program maximum: none.

    Note: The total amount available in FY 2001 for the AFP is $14.7 
million. We are no longer required to award a minimum of $500,000 to 
States, outlying areas are no longer restricted to a maximum of 
$105,000, nor are we required to distribute any remaining funds 
among those States based on population and density. In order for 
NIDRR to have increased flexibility and to insure a greater number 
of funding options within the total allocation for this program, 
NIDRR encourages applicants to submit and clearly identify in the 
application, multiple and alternative budgets. Applicants should 
include the required matching funds and the necessary materials for 
each of the different amounts proposed.

    Matching Requirement: The Federal share of the cost of the 
Alternative Financing Program must not be more than 75 percent. 
Therefore, applicants must match at least 25 percent of the total 
program cost. A State is no longer required to receive a minimum award 
of $500,000; an outlying area is no longer restricted to a maximum 
award of $105,000. The State or outlying area must provide the non-
Federal share of the cost of the AFP in cash, from State, local, or 
private sources.

Background

    Technical Assistance: In FY 2000, NIDRR funded a technical 
assistance project to provide information and technical assistance to 
States and outlying areas including assistance in preparing 
applications for grants under this Act. Applicants are encouraged to 
contact RESNA at 703-524-6686 ext. 301 or through e-mail; 
[email protected] for assistance with their applications.
    Eligible Applicants: Parties eligible to apply for the AFP are 
States and outlying areas that receive or have received grants under 
the AT State Grant Program (section 101 of the AT Act).
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), 34 CFR Parts 74, 75, 77, 81, 82, 
85, and 86.
    Pre-Application Meeting: Interested parties are invited to 
participate in a pre-application meeting to discuss the funding 
priorities for the AFP and to receive technical assistance through 
individual consultation and information about the funding priority. The 
pre-application meeting will be held on July 10, 2001. You may attend 
either in person or by conference call at the Department of Education, 
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Switzer 
Building, Room 3065, 330 C St. SW, Washington, DC between 10:00 a.m. 
and 12 noon. NIDRR staff will also be available at this location from 
1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on that same day to provide technical assistance 
through individual consultation and information about the funding 
priority. For further information or to make arrangements to attend 
contact Donna Nangle, Switzer Building, room 3414, 400 Maryland Avenue, 
SW, Washington, DC 20202. Telephone (202) 205-5880. If you use a 
telecommunication device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (202) 205-
4475.

Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities at the Public Meetings

    The meeting site is accessible to individuals with disabilities, 
and a sign language interpreter will be available. If you need an 
auxiliary aid or service other than a sign language interpreter in 
order to participate in the meeting (e.g., other interpreting service 
such as oral, cued speech, or tactile interpreter; assistive listening 
device; or materials in alternate format), notify the contact person 
listed in this notice at least two weeks before the scheduled meeting 
date. Although we will attempt to meet a request we receive after this 
date, we may not be able to make available the requested auxiliary aid 
or service because of insufficient time to arrange it.

Priority

    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) and sections 301-305 of title III of the 
AT Act, we consider only applications that meet the priority. We will 
establish the AFP in order to provide assistance to States and to 
outlying areas so that individuals with disabilities of all ages and 
their family members, guardians, advocates, and authorized 
representatives will have increased access to funding for AT devices 
and services through alternative financing mechanisms (loans). 
Consistent with sections 301-305 of the Act, the requirements are as 
follows:
    (a) Each grantee must enter into a contract with a community-based 
organization (including a group of such organizations), such as Centers 
for Independent Living, that has individuals with disabilities involved 
in organizational decision making at all organizational levels, to 
administer the alternative-financing program. The contract must: (1) 
Include a provision requiring that the program funds, including the 
Federal and non-Federal

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shares of the cost of the program, be administered in a manner 
consistent with the provisions of this title; (2) include provisions 
for oversight and evaluation to protect Federal financial interests; 
and (3) require the community-based organization to enter into a 
contract with a commercial lending institution or State or outlying 
area financing agency.
    (b) Each grantee and any community-based organization that enters 
into a contract with the State or outlying area, must submit, 12 months 
after receipt of the fiscal year 2001 award, each of the following 
policies, procedures, data, and information: (1) A procedure to review 
and process in a timely manner requests for financial assistance for 
immediate and potential technology needs, including consideration of 
methods to reduce paperwork and duplication of effort, particularly 
relating to need, eligibility, and determination of the specific AT 
device or service to be financed through the project; (2) a policy and 
procedure to assure that access to the AFP shall be given to consumers 
regardless of type of disability, age, income level, location of 
residence in the State or outlying area, or type of AT device or AT 
service for which financing is requested through the program; and (3) a 
procedure to assure consumer-controlled oversight of the program.
    (c) Each grantee must provide the following information: (1) The 
ratio of funds provided by the State for the AFP to funds provided by 
the Federal Government; (2) the type of alternative financing mechanism 
used and the community-based organization with which the State or 
outlying area entered into a contract; (3) the following information 
concerning each disabled individual served by the project: The amount 
of assistance, type of AT device or AT service financed through the 
project, type of disability, age, gender, race, ethnicity, 
socioeconomic status, primary language, geographic location within the 
State or outlying area, employment status, whether the consumer is part 
of an underrepresented population or rural population, and whether the 
consumer tried to secure financial support from other sources and, if 
so, a description of those sources.
    (d) Each grantee must provide one or a combination of the 
following: (1) A low-interest loan fund; (2) an interest buy-down 
program; (3) a revolving loan fund; (4) a loan guarantee or insurance 
program; (5) a program operated by a partnership among private entities 
for the purchase, lease, or other acquisition of AT devices or AT 
services; or (6) another mechanism that meets the requirements of this 
program and is described in an application, peer reviewed and approved 
by the Department.
    (e) Each grantee must provide matching funds so that the Federal 
share of the cost of the AFP is not more than 75 percent. A State is no 
longer required to receive a minimum award of $500,000; an outlying 
area is no longer restricted to a maximum award of $105,000; the State 
or outlying area match must be at least 25 percent of the total program 
cost.
    (f) Each applicant must provide the following assurances in its 
application: (1) The State or outlying area will provide the non-
Federal share of the cost of the AFP in cash, from State, local, or 
private sources; (2) the State or outlying area will continue the AFP 
after Federal funding has terminated on a permanent basis; (3) the 
State or outlying area will provide information describing the manner 
in which, the program will expand and emphasize consumer choice and 
control; (4) the State or outlying area will supplement and not 
supplant other Federal, State, and local public funds expended to 
provide any currently operating AFP in the State or outlying area. The 
State or outlying area must use new State-level or outlying area-level 
funds to match the Federal share. The State or outlying area may not 
use existing spending, such as Title I AT Act funds, that are used to 
support an existing AFP, to match the Federal grant; (5) the State or 
outlying area will place all funds that support the AFP, including 
funds repaid during the life of the program, in a permanent separate 
account, apart from any other fund; (6) the State's or outlying area's 
community-based organization will invest funds in low-risk securities 
in which a regulated insurance company may invest under the law of the 
State or the outlying area if the organization administering funds 
invests funds within this account; (7) the State's or outlying area's 
community-based organization will administer the funds with the same 
judgement and care that a person of prudence, discretion, and 
intelligence would exercise in the management of the financial affairs 
of such person; (8) funds comprised of the principal and interest from 
the State or outlying area account for this activity will be available 
to support the AFP; (9) any interest or investment income that accrues 
on or derives from such funds after such funds have been placed under 
the control of the organization administering the AFP, but before those 
funds are distributed for purposes of supporting the program, will be 
the property of the organization administering the program; and (10) 
the State or outlying area will limit the indirect costs of the total 
amount available for the AFP to 10 percent, including both the Federal 
and State or outlying area funds.
    In addition, the project must:
    (a) Provide in accessible formats materials that can be used by 
potential loan applicants and lending institutions to obtain, share and 
disseminate information on loan availability, eligibility requirements 
and procedures and general loan related updates;
    (b) Coordinate and share information, resources and with the State 
and outlying area AT Act projects; and
    (c) Conduct and submit to NIDRR and the AFTAP an annual evaluation 
of its activities using the data collection instrument developed by the 
Alternative Financing Technical Assistance Project.
    Selection criteria: In evaluating an application for a new grant 
under this competition, we use selection criteria chosen from the 
selection criteria in 34 CFR 75.210. The maximum score for all criteria 
is 100 points. The selection criteria to be used for this competition 
will be provided in the application package for this competition.

Application Procedures

    Note: Some of the procedures in these instructions for 
transmitting applications differ from those in the Education 
Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 CFR 
75.102). Under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the 
Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to 
comment on proposed regulations. However, these amendments make 
procedural changes only and do not establish new substantive policy. 
Therefore, under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A), the Secretary has determined 
that proposed rulemaking is not required.

Pilot Project for Electronic Submission of Applications

    The U.S. Department of Education is expanding its pilot project of 
electronic submission of applications to include certain formula grant 
programs, as well as additional discretionary grant competitions. The 
Alternative Financing Program--CFDA 84.224C is one of the programs 
included in the pilot project. If you are an applicant under the 
Alternative Financing Program, you may submit your application to us in 
either electronic or paper format.
    The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant 
Application System (e-APPLICATION, formerly e-GAPS) portion of the 
Grant Administration and Payment System (GAPS). We request your 
participation in this pilot project. We shall continue to evaluate its

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success and solicit suggestions for improvement.
    If you participate in this e-APPLICATION pilot, please note the 
following:
     Your participation is voluntary.
     You will not receive any additional point value or penalty 
because you submit a grant application in electronic or paper format.
     You can submit all documents electronically, including the 
Application for Federal Assistance (ED 424), Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and 
certifications.
     Fax a signed copy of the Application for Federal 
Assistance (ED 424) after following these steps:
    1. Print ED 424 from the e-APPLICATION system.
    2. Make sure that the institution's Authorizing Representative 
signs this form.
    3. Before faxing this form, submit your electronic application via 
the e-APPLICATION system. You will receive an automatic 
acknowledgement, which will include a PR/Award number (an identifying 
number unique to your application).
    4. Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of ED 
424.
    5. Fax ED 424 to the Application Control Center within three 
working days of submitting your electronic application. We will 
indicate a fax number in e-APPLICATION at the time of your submission.
     We may request that you give us original signatures on all 
other forms at a later date.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the Alternative 
Financing Program at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    We have included additional information about the e-APPLICATION 
pilot project (see Parity Guidelines between Paper and Electronic 
Applications) in the application package.
    For Applications Contact: Education Publications Center (ED Pubs), 
P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-
7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a telecommunications device for 
the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free): 1-877-576-7734.
    You may also contact ED Pubs via its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html or its E-mail address ([email protected]). If you 
request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify this 
competition as follows: CFDA number 84.224C.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format by contacting the Grants and Contracts 
Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
room 3317, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: 
(202) 205-8351. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf 
(TDD), you may call the Federal Information Relay Services (FIRS) at 1-
800-877-8339. However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an 
alternative format the standard forms included in the application 
package.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donna Nangle, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., room 3414, Switzer Building, 
Washington, D.C. 20202-2645. Telephone: (202) 205-5880. Individuals who 
use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the TDD 
number at (202) 205-4475. Internet: [email protected].
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, or computer diskette) 
on request to the contact person listed in the preceding paragraph.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You may review this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe 
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site: 
www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister.
    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at the previous site. If you have questions about using PDF, call 
the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-
6498; or in the Washington, D.C., area at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.


    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 3051-3058.

    Dated: June 7, 2001.
Francis V. Corrigan,
Deputy Director, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation 
Research.
[FR Doc. 01-14809 Filed 6-12-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P